Component: Child welfare - community and prevention supports

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA)

Service objectives

To provide support to eligible former youth in care, including those who were adopted, aged 18 to 25, to promote better health and well-being during the transition to adulthood.

Service description

The Aftercare Benefits Initiative (ABI) will provide benefits (e.g., prescription drugs not covered through OHIP+, dental, extended health and counselling and life skills support services) to eligible former youth in care, ages 21-25, and youth who were adopted, ages 18-25, for a maximum of four (4) consecutive years, to support the transition into adulthood by improving access to health services.

In addition, the ABI will continue to provide counselling and life skills support services to youth ages 25 to 29 for a maximum of a further four (4) additional consecutive years if the youth previously received benefits under ABI.

Program/service features

The services are directed at eligible former youth in care, ages 21-25, and youth who were adopted, aged 18 to 25, with a possible extension to coverage for counselling and life skills support services for eligible youth up to age 29, to promote better health and well-being during the transition to adulthood.

Program goals

To provide support to eligible former youth in care, ages 21-25, and youth who were adopted, aged 18 to 25, to promote better health and well-being during the transition to adulthood through the ABI program.

Ministry expectations

The transfer payment recipient will:

  • Contract with third party benefits providers selected through a competitive tendering process;
  • Engage in outreach through informal peer and social networks/connections through other youth-serving organizations and existing bodies (i.e., YouthCAN Provincial Advisory Council and network groups, the Indigenous Youth Advisory Council, adoption organizations, formal/informal peer support groups, etc.) to reach former youth in care ages 21-25, and youth who were adopted, aged 18 to 25, who have left society care but who may be eligible for coverage;
  • Outreach will include the production of resources and web-based products in both English and French;
  • Provide to the Ministry, upon request, a detailed list of spending within budget line at OACAS and the ABI program;
  • Provide the Ministry with timely access to aggregated ABI data and analysis on an annual and ad-hoc basis, upon Ministry request;
  • Communicate with Ministry staff in quarterly meetings or as required, regarding reports, sharing findings, review outcomes and achievements and other issues as necessary; and
  • As needed, invite the Ministry to participate as an observer at working groups or committee meetings for Special Projects related to the ABI so that the Ministry may receive updates on progress with the activities undertaken.

Eligibility

The transfer payment recipient will be responsible for determining and ensuring eligibility of program applicants.

  • Youth aging out of care who are eligible for the ABI will be registered by their society as part of their case close-out activities. Upon adoption of a young person, the society should inform the young person and his/her family of the ABI and the youth’s ability to access the initiative upon their 18th birthday.
  • In situations where a youth has not been registered by the society and the youth is approaching the transfer payment recipient directly, the transfer payment recipient will request that the youth provide: (1) full name; (2) date of birth; and (3) society with most recent involvement and/or confirmation of adoption. The transfer payment recipient will verify the youth’s eligibility, as is the case for other programs administered by the transfer payment recipient (e.g. OACAS Scholarship Program).

Prescription drugs (not cover through OHIP+) dental, extended health and counselling and life skills support services

 

The transfer payment recipient must confirm the youth’s eligibility. To be eligible to receive drug, dental, extended health and counselling and life skills support services through the ABI, a youth must be:

  • A former child in extended society care who was adopted on or after June 1, 2016, aged 18-25; or
  • A youth who has received, or has been eligible to receive, Continued Care and Support for Youth (CCSY) aged 21-25. For clarity this means:
    • A youth in extended society care or subject to a legal custody order immediately prior to the youth’s 18th birthday, or immediately prior to the youth’s marriage if the marriage occurred before the youth’s 18th birthday; or
    • A youth who was subject to a Customary Care agreement, for which a society paid a subsidy, immediately prior to the youth’s 18th birthday; or
    • A youth who was subject to a Voluntary Youth Services Agreement immediately prior to their 18th birthday; or
    • A youth who was eligible for the Renewed Youth Support (RYS) program
    • youth who are eligible for benefits from a post-secondary institution so long as these youth opt-out of the post-secondary benefits program; and
    • youth who are in receipt of social assistance (i.e., Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program) may access the counselling and life skills support services benefits only.
  • The youth was a former youth in care, are between the ages of 25 to 29 and previously received the full suite of supports offered through the ABI for up to a maximum of four (4) consecutive years; or
  • The youth was adopted on or after June 1, 2016, between the ages of 22-29 and previously received the full suite of supports offered through the ABI for up to a maximum of four (4) consecutive years; and
  • The youth meets all other criteria and is not eligible for counselling and life skills support services benefits from another source.
  • Drug/prescription services;
  • Personal counselling to address mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, stress and life transitions;
  • Career coaching, which may include advice on career planning and job searches;
  • Addictions counseling which may include referral and post-recovery support; and
  • Financial counseling which may include debt counseling, bankruptcy and how to handle financial emergencies.
  • Monitor and evaluate program performance and confirm that program objectives and deliverables are being met;
  • On an annual basis, provide a report which details other program activities conducted by the transfer payment recipient in support of the initiative, including outreach activities to reach the target population;
  • Provide to the Ministry, upon request, a detailed list of spending within budget line and the ABI;
  • Provide the Ministry with timely access to aggregated ABI data and analysis on an annual and ad-hoc basis, upon Ministry request; and
  • Communicate with Ministry staff in quarterly meetings or as required, regarding reports, sharing findings, review outcomes and achievements and other issues as necessary.